Pearl Harbor. The Pennsylvania capsizes in the mud. The rest of battleship row is severely mauled. Most of the damage is below the water line. Many torpedoes find their mark. While damage to superstructures on the BBs is light to medium. Two destroyers and a couple of auxiliaries are lost as well. Three points of damage is done to the shipyards. The airfields are hit but a substantial CAP should fly tomorrow over the anchorage. In the evening I form a destroyer squadron. It is broken into two divisions, and dispatched to blue water.

PI. Small air raids on Luzon cause little damage. The Boise is torpedoed and sunk in the Sibuyan sea. She takes five fish before slipping under. The smaller component of the Kido Butai is due east 100nm from southern Luzon.

Malaya. Only one landing in the north accompanied by some small air raids. The Repulse is hit with two fish off Mersing and will make for Singapore.

Game. No significant changes to existing orders are given. I allowed POW and Repulse to sortie. I can’t help myself on this one and to my surprise they actually survived to fight another day while looking for the IJN trying to cut off Malaya. Course corrections are given to US TFs at sea, the Boise was looking for trouble, but not the aerial kind.

December 8, 1941

Game. A long two days getting the Allies started. *Repulse enters the yards at Singapore.

December 9, 1941

PI. The Houston tangles with a destroyer squadron flagged by CL Naka and loses DD Peary in the process. Houston and DD Ford retire to Manila to rearm. Landings on northern Luzon signal intent to make rapid work here. The retiring shipping will come into range of IJN carriers tomorrow.

DEI. Palembang is mined and I lose some tankers to subs. Supply to Singapore is also sunk. Prince of Wales is ordered to interrupt the landings at Miri tomorrow morning. Two brigades are cut off in northern Malaya. We control the entry and exit hex sides but the IJA is in the hex to the southeast. The brigades are in strategic mode and ready. I don’t know if they will pass through the hex or not as we do have a unit there.

India. Reinforcements are rerouted to Columbo. At least a brigade will reload in amphibious mode for deployment forward.

Pearl Harbor. The Kido Butai is cruising due west and newly created DesRon 21 is making headway to Canton in route to the Solomons.

posting from my MAC, it's a pain. I do have a prize for the one who figures the issue with multiple posts out as I got a nice fuzzy feeling from a few trying to help. I have not tried the last two ideas.....yet

West Coast: another two small convoys depart under extreme secrecy. Supplies are headed to NorPac. II fighter command assembles at San Diego.

Pearl: I lose an AE to the southwest of the HI. This may have given him an idea of my plans.

DEI: WE lose almost a dozen ships today, most fleeing the PI. Mini KB is operating where you would expect to take advantage. I would have moved the unit further west. Its due south of Davo. Landings at Ambon and Ternate. Landing at Miri where POW is 40nm, spotted 10/10 to the west. I order her in at Miri tonight. US destroyers move to northwest Borneo. I have two brigades cut off in Northern Malaya. I should not have tried to railhead them south. They will march south to take on the IJA due west of Georgetown.

PI: The Houston tangles all night with the IJN off western Luzon. She is roughed up, but deep sixes a light cruiser. Her main batteries are mysteriously full and I order her back into the fray tonight. Catalinas catch a loaded transport off the southeastern tip of Luzon sinking a transport with all hands. CR shows over souls 1400 lost.

Pacific: Lexington cruising through the Gilberts catches the Makin transports still unloading and wreaks some havoc. Enterprise is following a day behind and expects to clean up.

*POW should have had bombardment orders, she shows up only to depart west without making contact. I have the flu and play a lazy turn and omit China, barely glance at India/Burma, and only make some course corrections to ships at sea. Not good gamesmanship.

After Action reports: Guam and Wake fall, Hollandia, Vanimo, and Aitupe fall. Legaspi falls. Victoria Point falls. For some reason I do not have CRs for the 11th and had no idea of the landings on the north coast of New Guinea except Hollandia. Subs and surface attacks maul shipping fleeing the PI. Some are valuable assets. CAP is now minimal over the PI as IJA sweeps keep most machines in maintenance.

game: I think that if do not load the turn and the replay at the same time, Monkey will not find it, nor with the archive switch will it save. Now I am confused as to my carrier positions as well as DesRon-21. I anxiously await the turn. I was contemplating a day or maybe a night raid on Truk or even a possible run up the New Guinea coast, now I feel a need to regroup as the turns are moving slowly and with CRs arriving days before turns. I spend 15PP to reform the 8th Indian Bde, killed in action at Kota Bharu on the 9th. I can’t wait for the seabees. 2nd USMC DEF Bn allowed to upgrade. I want a radar set in the forward area. 205th coast AA allowed upgrades to Bofors and 90mm DP guns. Hopefully these two will be ready long before the 2nd USMC Rgt. The 111th USN BF moves to railhead. Should depart the west coast in 72hours.

Pacific: VP-23 reorganizes on Palmyra for transit southwest. Cactus units have a long cruise and need to beat the Japanese to their objectives. Clock ticking. Cactus surface units make good time and will arrive in the AO soon. Enterprise and Lexington are both DL 10/10. The decision is easy.

PI: The IJA is advancing south and will take Vigan and Tuguegaro on Luzon tomorrow. Time to withdraw the 93rd BS (B17). Houston will make for Tartan and a run for safety. Really poor showing from her thus far.

DEI: Mini KB is missing. A small SAG is sent forward poke around and look for an ambush. A squadron of Blenhiems are staged out of Malaya. No air strikes over Singapore. Interesting development in northern Malaya, next time I do a map I’ll ask some opinions on it.

Burma: No convoys have completed loading for Rangoon yet. It is painful to watch the slow ass labor at the Indian ports. A Ghurka Bde combat loads for Port Blair. He has had recon flights daily so I stage in an element of the AVG to cover.

CR: Pillsbury and Pope, fleeing the PI via northern Borneo run into CL Kashii and a small TB. They set the imperial cruiser on fire. S-36, operating in the western PI hits with two fish and sets an xAK on fire. There are reported casualties. DMS Hopkins finds a sub off Lahaina, reports a hit on her. DD Express finds I-153 off Kuching and reports 5 hits. IJ air reacts to unloading transport at Port Blair and is met by a small element of the AVG, downing one Nell, damaging some more and protect the merchant. The AVG in China scores its first kills downing a Nate and Ann, also protecting the frail Chinese below from harm. Hong Kong holds, Ambon holds, but several Chinese formations are routed.

FLT: (Burma)The front line has moved to Burma. The 11th Burma rifle Bn, on the frontier spots IJA troops due east. The unit is poorly led, poorly equipped, and un ready. There are no good choices to lead it and is not expected to hold one day. A reinforced Burma Bde is waiting at Moulmein. It is better led and with some AV hope to hold for a day or two. Forts at one and 39%. Almost 50% of the Bde is still disrupted though. I am trying to reform the 13th Indian Bde by bringing forward two Bn from Rangoon to Moulmein before the IJA finishes off the 11th Burma Rifles. The AVG ground element reached Rangoon, remained in strategic move and awaits transport to Port Blair. Two squadrons of the 51st FG are release from the USA to Cape town. I send another nine plane element of the AVG to Port Blair.

FLT: Malaya, Singapore is getting supply from Java. Interesting little situation on the ground at Alor Star. Singers forts at 2 and 45%. Fighter strength is maxed. I spend a 7 PPs to get a Dutch SAG reasonably well led.

FLT: SWPac: First resupply ship reaches PM. Rahul still in our hands. I release Lexington from patrol duty in the Solomon Sea. I do not want her cornered. December 16,1941

CR: At 2,ooo yds Houston takes a shell from a minesweeper and allows her and her charge to escape off Bangii. Porpoise hits a CM with a dud off Legaspi. Off Miri the RN puts up a fight. The Mauritius will go down in the evening but she and her escorts dish out some punishment setting a CA on fire, hitting three others. Her escort helps and sets two destroyers on fire. Exeter bombards Victoria Point. I need to keep the Zeros off this base for a few days. A couple of more Nells are downed over Port Blair by the AVG while another merchant arrives and begins to unload. 33 Nells lay an egg over another SAG near Kuching. CL Marblehead and company continue to patrol the northwest corner of Borneo. Taiping, Hong Kong, Chengchow, Naga, Kudat and Ambon fall.

Burma: The 11th Burma rifles have at least 1 IJA unit moving to cross the frontier. TF410 with the 48th Gurkha Bde is ordered to flank and should make Port Blair tonight.

PI: I think I will get a big xAK full of supplies into Manila tonight. fingers crossed.

DEI: Supply unloading at Singapore.

UPDATE: 12/19/1941 The war progresses. In the PI the IJA is slow approaching Manila and Clark. They are only debarked on Luzon and one or two dot bases. I wish I could get some supply in there. I may try a flotilla of subs from Pearl just for fun. In China he is probing and chasing down units in the plains which are not heading west but rather east. I’m having fun with this. There is a strong probe in the north and one just south of Changsha, but no emergency yet. The Wenchow area is untouched and I control the road and rail net. In the Pacific, the Gilberts are quiet. I am ashore at Luganville and hoping to make a rapid deployment to the Guadalcanal Tulagi area. Lack of engineers is severely hampering the time table. Regards to political points, I had 600 plus banked as of the 19th but spend 50 on Chinese leadership in the Changsha sector. I have only bought out one PBY squadron from the PI and one KIA unit from Malaya thus far since the original expenditure of PPs on DESRON-21. The destroyer squadron is divided into two divisions and lurks in the southern Solomon Islands.

BB, I'm sure you are correct and I suspect it is a full Kido Butai. I hope my subs recently departed from Brisbane can get some shots in during the next week. I never "volunteered" my full search patterns in the area. It is/was wholly inadequate. Most if not all the spots on shipping and KB were from the 5 Aussies and their 4 Hudsons from PM. They performed well considering their lack of training and limited pilots and airframes. They also searched by commander discretion. I could add that I only bought out a second VP squadron from the PI on the 27th along with the first B17 squadron from there as well.

update, Chinese are making a stand at Yenan. Action intensifying on the Wenchow perimeter. I may move on Fuchow. Five IJA units arrive at Moulmein. I brought another brigade in behind them across the river.